Rites of Rulership
"The King of Silmaria is dead, and the kingdom mourns his loss. We are gathered here to determine the future of this land through Rites of ancient ritual and tradition. By the Rites of Rulership, heroes will prove their worth. By the Rites of Rulership, Silmaria will arise from the ashes of mourning like the Phoenix rises to the sun. By the Rites of Rulership, a new King will ascend to the throne of this land!" The Rites of Rulership are the traditional means used by the kingdom of Silmaria to choose a new king when the former king has died without leaving a living heir. They consist of a number of challenges devised by the high-ranking members of the community (preferably the former king's advisors and counsellors) deliberately difficult to complete and showcasing the talents a king is expected to have (such as courage, wisdom, diplomacy and strength.) Entering the Rites of Rulership The rites are open to all, but entering requires payment of 1000 drachmas, a very large sum of money, and thus most adventurers require a wealthy sponsor to compete. The Rites of Rulership require a minimum of five contestants before they will begin. There are seven rites to complete in the most recent Rites of Rulership, with the following contestants participating: #Elsa von Spielburg (sponsored by Minos) #Gort (sponsored by Dr. Mobius) #Kokeeno Pookameeso #Magnum Opus #The Hero (under the title Prince of Shapeir) The Rite of Freedom The Fishing Villages of Marete are being raided by Hesparian Mercenaries. Each contender in the Rites of Rulership is asked to choose a village, and it is their duty to drive out the invaders and return with the village's sigil as proof. *Kokeeno Pookameeso chooses to liberate Paros, since it is his hometown. *Dr. Mobius chooses Keros for Gort, since it is the closest to the Academy of Science. *Minos chooses Ios for Elsa von Spielburg, since it is the closest to his island. *Magnum Opus doesn't care which town he liberates, but he chooses Tinos. *By the process of Elimination, the Prince of Shapeir is left with the village of Naxos. Either the Prince of Shapeir or Magnum Opus wins the Rite by freeing their village first. However, Kokeeno Pookameeso is found murdered next to a broken Dragon Pillar. The Rite of Conquest It has been discovered that the Hesperian Mercenaries are striking from a fortress hidden on one of the islands surrounding Marete. The next Rite is to find that fortress, drive out the Mercenaries there, defeat their General, Claudius, and return with his shield. The Prince of Shapeir gets a boat ride from Andre to the island of Sifnos, where the Hesparian Mercenary Fortress is. After defeating the mercenaries and a Centaur Wizard that works with them, the Prince of Shapeir engages General Claudius in battle. The Prince of Shapeir defeats Claudius, claims his shield, and returns it to the Hall of Kings to claim his victory. After showing the shield at the Hall of Kings, he is allowed to keep it as a prize. Another tragedy, however, strikes the Rites of Rulership, as Magnum Opus was found dead in a manner not unlike Kokeeno Pookameeso, murdered beside a broken Dragon Pillar. The Rite of Valor A true king must be willing to face true evil. In this case, the evil in question is the Hydra that gives Hydra Island its name. The goal of this Rite is to slay the Hydra and return with its teeth as proof. Before the Rite can even get underway however, Rasha Rakeesh SahTarna is attacked and poisoned by the assassin that murdered the king. The Hero can give him Poison Cure Pills, or alert the guards at the Hall of Kings, which will save Rakeesh's life, or refrain, which will lead to Rakeesh's death. The Hero gets to Hydra Island by taking a pair of makeshift wings from the Academy of Science, while Elsa von Spielburg gets there compliments of a ship provided by Minos. The two of them work together to slay the Hydra, and the Hero gets to decide whether to keep the Hydra Teeth himself or give them to Elsa and let her claim the victory. Either way, the Hero and Elsa claim the Hydra's treasure, with Elsa claiming a magical bow. More bad news awaits after the Rite is concluded: Erasmus has been drugged and now sleeps a restless sleep. The Rite of Destiny There are things that even a brave man fears to face. The task of this rite is to go to the Island of Delos and seek out the Sybil, who will help them confront their future. They must then return with proof that they have done so. Dr. Mobius refuses to have Gort participate in this rite, calling it "superstitious nonsense." This rite is won by the Prince of Shapeir when he is inspired by one of Wolfie's works of art and creates a hot-air balloon to fly to Delos. After speaking with the Sybil, the Prince of Shapeir returns with the Proof of Destiny and claims victory. More trouble, however, ensues, as Shakra Sah Tarna is afflicted with the same malady that befell Erasmus. The Rite of Courage A king must be willing to go to Hell if that's what it takes to protect Silmaria. This rite consists of entering the depths of the Underworld by getting past the guardian, Cerberus, descending to the center of the Abyss, and returning with water from the river Styx as proof. The Prince of Shapeir gains entry to the Underworld either by defeating or bribing Cerberus, then collects the water from the river Styx. The Prince of Shapeir can also collect water from the river Lethe to aid Erasmus and Shakar. Finally, the Prince of Shapeir has the option of giving up part of his life force to rescue Katrina or Erana from the Underworld. Regardless of the Prince's choices, he returns with the Styx Water to claim victory in the Rite of Courage. The Rite of Peace For a long time, the kingdom of Silmaria and the undersea kingdom of Atlantis have been at peace. However, the Tritons have begun attacking Silmarian fishermen and wrecking Silmarian Trade. The goal of this rite is to forge a new treaty with the Atlanteans and return with proof that the deed was done. The Prince of Shapeir wins this rite, though he has several means by which to do so. He can fight his way into Atlantis and defeat the mighty Dragonfish, which will cause Hippolyta, the Queen of Atlantis, to surrender, and (begrudgingly) sign a peace treaty. Another option is to sneak in, give Hippolyta flowers, and tell her about the Famous Adventurer, which will remind her of their old relationship and soften her, at which point she will willingly sign the treaty. Either way, Hippolyta gives the Prince of Shapeir a Peace Statue as a token of the new treaty. The Prince of Shapeir returns with this to win the rite. At this point it is revealed that the scientists of Science Island (who turn out to be the same person) were behind the drugging of the wizards Erasmus and Shakar, and as a result, Gort is disqualified from the Rites of Rulership. The Rite of Justice The last Rite is the most important: The assassin that murdered the King and many others must be brought to justice. As luck would have it, the assassin would attempt to kill the Hero outside of the Adventurer's Guild, but would fail and be slain himself. The assassin turns out to be Bruno, another old face from Spielburg. With this discovery, suspicion is cast upon Minos as the true mastermind behind the king's murder. After careful interrogation, Minos slips (or is revealed to be lying, if you're a Paladin and have the Ring of Truth), but flees. The Hero is sent on the fastest ship Silmaria has to Minos Island to pursue him. After fighting his way through Minos' Mansion and freeing Elsa von Spielburg, the Hero confronts Minos. However, Minos declares his victory and leaps to his death, which shatters the Prophecy Stone he had and awakens the Dragon of Doom. With no time to lose, Erana or Katrina (or Fenris is neither is available) teleports the Hero and Elsa von Spielburg to the Dragon of Doom's lair. Elsa, Erana/Katrina (if available), Toro, and Gort come to the Hero's aid, and the final battle begins. The Hero, Toro, and Gort quickly raise the Dragon Pillar inside the Lair in order to bind the Dragon of Doom so he can't fly away and begin destroying Marete. Once this is done, attention is turned to slaying the Dragon. The Hero can sacrifice one of his allies (himself included) to weaken the Dragon, or just beat the Dragon down with sheer force. Another possibility is that the Hero, if a Wizard, can cast the Thermonuclear Blast spell, sacrificing himself, his allies, and possibly a good chunk of Silmaria itself to ensure the Dragon's destruction. Regardless of how the Dragon is slain, if the Hero survived, he and the other survivors are brought back to the Hall of Kings, where the Hero is declared the winner of the Rites of Rulership and offered the Throne of Silmaria. He can either accept it or refuse. If he refuses, Elsa (provided she survived) becomes the Ruler of Silmaria instead. Category:QFG5